Accountability As Teachers

Transcript

GR/GRM 1649
7/22/2012
Accountability As Teachers
James 3:1
Gil Rugh

We are looking into the book of James together. We’re ready to start chapter 3. James is concerned that his readers understand they should not only be hearers of the word, but they should also be doers of the Word. Chapter 1 verse 22, “Prove yourselves doers of the Word and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” And he’s dealing with areas of their lives that should be manifesting the saving work of God in their hearts and minds. He has a dual concern that pervades the letter. It has to do with our conduct and our speech–both our actions and our words. Back in chapter 2 verse 12, “So speak and so act as those who are judged to be judged by the law of liberty,’’ both how we speak and how we act as he separates them out. Both our words and our conducts are to manifest that we’re under the authority of Christ, and we will be subject to the judgement of His Word, which he’s going to talk about in chapter three in a moment. He’s focused on conduct in chapter 2 verses 14 to 26. Faith has to produce works. Salvation is not by faith plus works, but a faith that is saving changes a life and results in a transformation of our conduct. So he said in verse 17, “Faith, if it has no works, is dead.” The end of verse 20, “Faith without works is useless.” The end of verse 26, “Faith without works is dead.” That repeated emphases. Using Abraham as an example and then Rahab. They demonstrated the reality of their faith by what they did. We ought to get confused when he ah says in verse 22 that ah faith was working with his works and following up verse 21 that Abraham was justified by his works. He has to take that in the context. We look back and saw something of the history of Abraham. It already had been declared righteous by God by his faith in chapter ah 15. But the example that James uses comes from chapter 22, years later. He is justified by his works because his works demonstrated the reality of the faith that he has had over the years. So understanding faith and works in the proper relationship is crucial.

So he’s talked about our conduct. Now he wants he wants to turn and talk about our words. So the first twelve verses of chapter 3 of James are going to be about our words, our speech. He’s already touched on this back in chapter 1 verse 19, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” Then in down in verse 26 of chapter 1, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and does not bridle his tongue,” and that picture of bridling is going to come up in chapter 3. Anyone considers “himself to religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” So you see James feels with both areas of his concern in the same way. Faith without works is dead. If your works, if your actions, don’t support your claim of faith you don’t have saving faith. And the same thing if your words, the use of your tongue, doesn’t support the fact that uh you have trusted in Christ, to give evidence of that, then your just deceiving your own heart. That kind of religion as James refers to it, that’s not saving faith. So the words and actions. His picking up on the words, as we’ve seen James goes back, and drawing on much of what Christ taught, the Sermon on the Mount and other times of His teaching. Come back to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12 verse 33. Jesus picks up here an analogy He used back in chapter 7 in the Sermon on the Mount. Good trees bear good fruit. Bad trees bear bad fruit. Here, verse 33 of Matthew 12, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” That’s key. You should have that marked in your Bible. “The mouth speaks out of that which fill the heart.” He goes on to say, “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.” What is He talking about? The picture of the tree and the picture of the treasure? Well He’s talking about the heart and the works and the things we do, and we say like a tree. It produces a certain kind of fruit. You know it’s an orange tree because it produces oranges, good fruit. If it’s producing another kind of uh an edible fruit, it’s not a good tree. And the same–what’s the treasure? Out of his good treasure. Out of the heart that has been transformed. Oh verse 36, “I tell you that every careless word,” useless word, “that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified . . . by your words you will be condemned.” It sounds similar to what James said about works, right? Here’s what Jesus said about our words. Does that mean then if you talk a certain way, you’re justified? So that’s how you get justified. You learn to speak a certain way. Know that’s the word truth, and if you try to adjust your behavior to conform to a certain pattern, therefore, you will be justified. Jesus has already said this has to do with what you are, the condition of your heart. So you’re going to be judged by your words because your words reflect what’s in your heart. Just like your actions reveal the condition of your heart. Mark chapter 7, which we looked at earlier study, it’s out of the heart that proceed all kind of sinful behaviors. So it’s out of the heart proceed our words. It’s uh that becomes an evidence of our salvation. Then in, if you will, foundation for justification. We’ve entered into justification by faith in Christ, but we manifest the reality of that in be can be declared righteous. We look at one another, and we can say that there’s a righteous person. Why? Because he conducts himself righteously. We don’t say, “There’s a person whose mouth is vulgar, whose behavior is sinful,” and say there’s a righteous person. Our words and actions are a testimony.

So come back to James. This is what James is doing. So he’s talked about our actions, now he wants to talk about our words, and the key part they play. Leave the marker in James. I was going to do this later, but we’ll do it now. Come back to the book of Proverbs. We’ve been spending time in Proverbs in connection with our family study, and I would just note some of the proverbs. I had a hard time sifting some of them out. There is many on our words and our speech, but look at–Proverb says the same thing, that the wise man is known by his words; the foolish man is known by his words. Where the godly man is known by his speech and the ungodly by his speech. One is with known in Proverbs. Uh, look at Proverbs chapter 10. We could of started earlier, but I jumped in chapter 10. Verse 8, “The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined,” the foolish of lips as you have in your margin. The babbling fool. His words reveal. He’s not a teachable person. Down in verse 11, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, . . . the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” So you see in the contrast, and it’s connected to the mouth, referring to what’s coming out of the mouth. Down in verse 19, verse 18, “He who conceals hatred has lying lips, . . . he who spreads slander is a fool. . . .[Where] there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, . . . he who restrains his lips is wise,” and the lips referring to our speech that come out from our lips. “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.” You note the parallel there. The lips t of the righteous, the heart of the wicked because the lips are revealing the heart. So he can speak of the tongue of the righteous and lips of the righteous and say they speak of the heart of the wicked because what’s coming out of the mouth is revealing the heart. I can speak about the words coming out of the mouth. I can speak about what’s in the heart. Does uh that’s the revelation there. Verse 21, “The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding.” Uh, that emphasis on the words. Down in chapter 11 verse 9, “With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.” So the contrast and how the wicked use their tongues. In chapter 12 verse 17, “He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit. There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword.” They see here James is going to speak about the power of words. And here the book of Proverbs speaks about that as like the thrust of a sword. “But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” So you have the one who misuses the tongue and the one who uses the tongue wisely. “Truthful lips will be established forever, But a lying tongue is only for a moment.” The contrast drawn. Verse 22, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.” So the words and the action brought together. With one sense, you don’t separate them. Those whose actions don’t support a testimony, their words won’t either, as uh time reveals. Chapter 13, verse 3, “The one who guards his mouth preserves . . . life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” They are words are used an what they reveal about us. Chapter 16, verse 27, “A worthless man digs up evil, While his words are like [a] scorching fire.” And I see James use this kind of terminology in our discussion of the tongue. “A perverse man spreads strife, . . . a slanderer separates intimate friends.” The misuse of the tongue; the damage it does in contrast to the speech of the righteous. In chapter 17, come down to verse 27, “He who restrains his words has knowledge, . . . he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” Even a fool if he doesn’t say anything, people will know what a fool he is–words revealing condition, many others. We’ll go to chapter 18; that’s it. We won’t go through anymore. Chapter 18, verse 6, “A fool’s lips bring strife, . . . his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, . . . they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” Down to verse 21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” James is going to give this kind of emphasis. The power of the tongue, our words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Those who love it will eat its fruit. And on it goes. Good to . . . sometimes it is to go through Proverbs. You can get books that give you lists that divide it up, but you might go through and say, “I’m just going to go through Proverbs and mark down the verses that have to do with my speech and my words.” They say you can go through and see what it has to say about these different areas.

Ok, now come back to James 1. This is the kind of background James has cause remember James is a leading Jewish leader in the Church, and he’s writing to Jewish believers. So as he moves into to talk about the tongue with the background and its connection both in the Old Testament and from the teaching of Christ. He’s not bringing new material, but important material. He starts out, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If . . . [any man] . . . does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body . . .” He’s going to be, begin his discussion of the use of the tongue with teachers because teachers what–teach. They speak. They use words. Communicate the instruction to you. Talking to you. Uh, he’s going to move beyond that when you pick up with verse 3 and down through verse 12. He’ll broaden it out to everyone, but he starts with teachers: the important place they have in the Church, their prominence, and the seriousness of their responsibility. And it’s given us a command. That word, uh, “let become,” we have it, uh, there translated as “let become. Divided let not many of you become,” really is given as a command in the text, an perative. It’s not that many of you are to become teachers. You are not. Sometimes lose perspective here. I’ve sometimes talked to men and, uh, told them, “My goal is to keep you from being in the ministry.” Not to try to push you into it. James says not many of you should become teachers. That’s not to discourage those that God has gifted and appointed to be teachers, but it is a warning. It is not something a person does; sometimes they’re drawn to the teaching gifts because of its promise. I get to stand up, and everybody is looking at me. Everybody is listening to me, and that’s my kind of world. It’s all about me. That’s not the way it’s to be. It is easy to get drawn to things and, uh, ministries–even that it will just seem like that’s what I’d like to do. But it’s a serious responsibility to be a teacher. So James says, “Let not many of you become teachers . . .” And want you to understand that’s a command. So we’re not looking for a multitude of teachers. Obviously the larger the ministry, the more teachers will be raised up by God and used by God. But the goal is not that, well, we should have more and more teachers. James is concerned about the opposite. We might have too many teachers, and never forget that I was contemplating going into my minis– ah into the ministry. My mother, that (uh) some of you met before she went to be with the Lord, would constantly tell me, “There are too many men in the ministry who don’t belong there. You shouldn’t be in the ministry unless you’re sure God has put you there.” And that was good advice. It’s James advice, “Let not many of you become teachers . . .” Shouldn’t be a multitude of you becoming teachers. Why? And he refers to them, “my brethren.” And there is warmth here. This is not to be mean. This is serious business. “[K]nowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” And James includes himself here. He is a teacher. We saw something of his leadership in Acts chapter 15. He’s writing a letter, teaching and instructing these believers. He includes himself here. “[W]e will incur a stricter judgment.” So he’s not telling those that have been gifted by God and appointed by God to be teachers in the church not to function that way, but he’s warning them that this is not something that people ought to be seeking out just because they might desire. I know sometimes men say, “I like to study the Word so I think I’d like to be a teacher.” Well, studying the Word is one thing, but understand this is serious business. So let not many become teachers because we will incur a stricter judgment. And judgment, it is a concern for James. Its, uh, come up in his letter other occasions that we function in light of the fact; we are destined for judgment, and teachers will have a stricter judgment.

Come back to Romans chapter 14. We as believers are not going to be judged to determine our eternal destiny, but we will be judged and evaluated on our faithfulness to Christ. And, uh, Romans chapter 14 verse 10, “. . .Why do you judge your brother? Or . . . again why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” And when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ, be judged for my faithfulness, I will be judged more strictly than those who are not teachers. He’s already warned about that. So this ought to be entered into carefully and seriously because it will infer a stricter judgment. Over in, uh, 1 Corinthians chapter 3 just after, uh, Romans into 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Paul using the analogy of building. Paul laid the foundation. Verse 10, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation.” So with God’s grace in gifted him, gifting him as an apostle and a teacher, he laid the foundation and others building on it. Each must be careful how he builds on it. That’s what we’re doing as we exercise our various gifts and function together as a body. We’re building on the foundation of Christ as we grow as His Church. The foundation, the only foundation, is Jesus Christ. “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident;. . . the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire,. . . the fire . . . will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, . . . so as through fire.” So you see we’re talking about a judgment for believers here. Those who will come through this judgment as saved people, but there are consequences for failing to be faithful, and that’s the warning. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10, Paul talks about the fact that we know the fear of the Lord. Therefore, that’s on the base he’s caring out his ministry: the awesome thought that someday you’ll stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and He will evaluate your life. He will evaluate my life, my service. Now that’s an awesome thought. It’s a fearful thought in one sense. Not afraid that I’ll be rejected and sentenced to hell, but we want what? Hear well done good and faithful servant. So the judgment, a stricter judgment. There will be degrees of judgment. We’ve noted that. Now just take one passage, Matthew chapter 10. This is a different judgment of Matthew 10, but the principal set down is applicable. And we won’t take time to look at other judgments, but the principal of this judgment is true. James mentions teachers will get a stricter judgment. There will be degrees in judgment. Verse 15. It talks about where His disciples go out and share the message of Christ in various places, and they bre rejected in some cities. Verse 14, “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.” So you see a pensible of stricter judgment. There’s been greater light, greater responsibility. Sodom and Gomorrah selected because they’re the epitome of the Old Testament of depravity and coming under the judgment of God, but those places that have heard the message of Christ, been exposed to greater light than Sodom and Gomorrah ever had, will be judged more severely. The degrees of judgment. Degrees of punishment. Degrees in hell. Degrees of reward for believers. What we do with our lives as God’s people is of great significance and importance.

Come back to James. Now he doesn’t go into the things that Paul will later unfold. Some of this truth will be revealed more fully through Paul. The gift of teaching as Paul will unfold. James just addresses the fact of teachers in the Church. And teaching is selected; it is the most prominent gift in the Church. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, uh, verse 28 Paul talks about in the Church there was given first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers, and then he lists the other gifts without giving a chronological order. A gifts that were associated with revelation from God, the communicating of that revelation, and then the teaching. Apostles and prophets received direct revelation. Apostles unique and, uh, were the prime gift God gave to the Church. A prophets received direct revelation and were vehicle of God’s revelation. God’s revelation is now complete so there’s no new revelation being given. So teachers now, which were third with apostles and prophets, now become the prime gift. Not a cause of pride; it’s a cause of fear. As James would speak, not many ought to be, uh, pursuing that, seeking it without clarity of understanding what is involved. Several things that must characterize a teacher, put it in a the context here. Number one, he must know the truth. Number two, he must live the truth. Number three, he must teach the truth. If you don’t know the truth, you can’t live it or teach it. So these are foundational things. You must know the truth. You must live the truth, and you must teach the truth. The number of verses here, let’s see. Let’s go to 1 Timothy chapter 3. We were there earlier in the day study. 1 Timothy chapter 3. You get to chapter 3, back up to chapter 1. Since I mentioned live the truth, know the truth first, then live the truth, keep in that order. This verse, uh, 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 3, I urge “you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so . . . [there] . . . you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” Already in the church at Ephesus were Paul had been, he had to leave, he lefts Timothy, there were teachers teaching incorrect doctrine there. So they need to be instructed not to teach strange doctrine, not to give attention to myths, endless genealogies. Those things give rise to mere speculation. The goal of our instruction, verse 5, is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, a sincere faith. Some men from straying from these things have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law even though they don’t understand it. They understand, they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confidante assertions. There you have men trying to be teachers in the church at Ephesus who don’t know what they’re talking about. Paul says there’s no room for that in the Church. Ignorant teachers, teachers who don’t know and understand the truth that they are to teach. Paul’s blant name, and he’s warning this is teaching going on in the church at Ephesus. Paul’s writing to Timothy, as he says later in chapter 3, and I referred to that, so may know how to conduct yourself in the Church which is the household of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth, and you have men in there trying to teach and that don’t have the foggiest idea. So they must know the truth. This means there’s going to be some maturity, sometime as a believer, sometime grounded in the Word. Persons confused on the Word can’t teach it with clarity. Doesn’t mean a teacher has perfect understanding and perfect knowledge; that’s not what we’re saying, but he has, must have a maturity of understanding in the Word. And part of Timothy’s job was put a stop to teachers who don’t know what they’re talking about, who don’t have an understanding yet of the truth and so shouldn’t be trying to teach it.

On that same level, come over to, ah, 2 Timothy chapter 2. He writes to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” That’s going to be a requirement, and that takes diligence. A number of men who are teachers and were blessed with good teachers who diligently apply themselves to the word and are careful in their handling of it, and that is a blessing that God has provided these men to our church. Come back to chapter 3 of 1 Timothy. Not only know the truth, but you must live the truth and the qualifications for elders who would be teachers of the truth. Everyone, not everyone is a teacher, has to hold the office of elder, but elders are responsible for the doctrinal condition of the church and the oversight of the doctrine and the oversight of other who may teach, be teaching the doctrine, who are not functioning as elders, and the qualifications here of a godly man. Verse 2, “An overseer . . . must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted . . .” These qualifications of elders of we look at these qualifications to be a teacher of the Word. I mean how can a being get up and teach the Word when his life is a mess? Must reflect the Word of God at work in his life, and a life that, uh, is striving to live in according to the truth of the Word in obedience to the Spirit of God who indwells him. Live the truth. This is James, been James point, right? Don’t be hearers of the Word only but be doers of the Word. And if I’m standing up here teaching you to have this kind of marriage, and I don’t, teaching you that you shouldn’t get drunk, and I get drunk, I mean it’s saying, “Hey you just,” and I’ll, uh, loses all credibility. Aren’t we all ashamed when you have someone whose claim to be an Evangelical believer, and he’s a prominent person, and all of a sudden he’s revealed to have been embezzling money or living in immorality. Let’s see. You just undermines the truth that’s been taught. We’re embarrassed. We don’t want to be identified with them. So a teacher must have a life that supports the truth and is to be a godly man. And then he must teach the truth as to have the ability to teach the truth. And then he must teach the truth as to have the ability to teach the truth in a clear and understandable way. Having a desire to teach is not enough. You must know the truth. You must live the truth, and you must demonstrate the ability to communicate the truth. I mean that some godly men, who love the Word of God and love the Lord, have not been gifted by God to teach the truth. That ought to be recognized by others, and I mean all I’m not going to try it then cause maybe I’m not. Well, find out.  One of the ways to do is you pursue it. We have classes to train. One of the things there is sort out if this is not your gift. That’s not a put down because, uh, well, I want to be open. I thought maybe this is what the Lord had gift me. If it’s not, that’s fine. He’s gifted you for something else. Don’t want to spend your life trying to exercise a gift God hasn’t given you. I recognize certain gifts God hasn’t given me. I am thankful for those who had these gifts in the body. I want to put my attention into the gifts that God has given me. That doesn’t mean we don’t do other things. The only thing I ever do is my gifts. No. That’s where I’m going to focus my attention and energy. That’s the contribution I make to the body. So we must be teaching the truth.

Come back to,uh, Matthew chapter 15. Jesus speaking again. Matthew chapter 15. Jesus rebuking teachers in Israel. The, Israel, the Old Testament through the gospels were God’s special people. Talks about, He’s talking to the Pharisees and the scribes, those who prided themselves in being teachers of the Word, and they’re trying to accuse Christ of inconsistency, and then verse 3 He said, “’Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? . . . God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ . . . by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” Terrible thing has happened in Israel. They found a way to make the Word of God null and void. They thought they were clever. Jesus says, “You’re not clever. You’re hypocrites, and rightly did I say a prophesy of you: “’this people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. . . . [I]n vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’” Serious matter. So I say we have to teach the truth, the Word of God. The Church is the pillar and support of the truth. We are about the Word of God. Saddest thing going on in the Evangelical church today is teachers who are not openly rejecting the truth; they just ignore it. They’re not about teaching it. There’s certain things that aren’t popular today. The people don’t want to hear it today. We don’t need to focus on that. I know. We believe it. I had one pastor tell me, “I believe this same thing you believe.” Why don’t you teach it? What does that mean? That means if I say, “Oh yes, I believe the Word of God, but I don’t teach it,” what? You know where the power of God is? Those is the Spirit of God dwells in us. Uh, but His work in accomplishing His work in the world and accomplishing His purpose is accomplished through His word. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12. What? The Scriptures are alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing of the soul and spirit, and the Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And yet the Church lose away from an emphasis on teaching the Word. We want to, you know, be self-help, psychologized, uh, messages, and listen to men that are Evangelical preachers. Sometimes they can teach the Word and do well; other times I’ve thought, “Where in the world did they get this foolishness. It’s some kind of psychological evaluation and discussion and presentation. It’s like well we’re moving away from the Word of God. You know we want to take the edge. The Word of God is like a sword. It pierces down to the inside, and you know what? We don’t like that. If we’re not submitting to the Word, we don’t want to hear it cause it’s what, cutting in to me. So we want to take the edge off the Word like the article I read you during our announcements tonight. Why? You know people don’t want to come and hear it. Well of course not. I want to come and have a sword stuck in me? No! You know unless the Spirit of God is at work, and I’m willing to submit to Him, I need something else. I went to the dentist, memorable occasion. Worst part about it was when going to do root canals, that the needle going into the roof of the mouth. The dentist apologizes, “I’m sorry,” but you know it was a combination. I’m, I didn’t like it, but I was glad for it because what he was going to do after that didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it would have he hadn’t given the needle. But when I go to dentist and say, “No, I liked that needle. Why don’t you put it in there again. I know, I don’t need a root canal, but why don’t you, uh, poke around there with your needle.” Don’t do that! Why would people come to church and want to be stabbed with the Word of God? You know if I’m not going to submit to it, I don’t want to. The Jews thought they had worked it out, but Jesus said, “You’ve nullified the Word of God.” That’s a terrible thing for teachers to do. They will incur a stricter judgment. Uh, they must handle the Word of God accurately faithfully. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, equipped to do all that God wants him to do. So I’ll paraphrase it. That’s it. So what is my responsibility as a teacher? To be entertaining? To be interesting? Well, don’t want to bore people with the Word of God, but I’m stuck. This is the content I have. Now the best of my ability I want to present it in a clear way. Hopefully it will be interesting. I don’t expect to be interesting to the unbeliever because it’s just going on by. But to the believer, it’s our food. It’s our nourishment. It’s our life. Come over to Acts chapter 20. I realize I’m preaching to people who know this, but so was James. We constantly need to remind ourselves and be sure we’re doing it, putting in to practice because we can lull ourselves in to becoming hearers and think we are doing all right cause I keep taking it in and taking it in, but James is concerned then that it controls our conduct and our words. Acts chapter 20. Responsibility of, uh, elders with the Word of God. And we’ll pick up down a verse 26. Paul says, “I am innocent of the blood of all men.” Why? “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose [the whole counsel] of God.” That’s what made him innocent. What will make me innocent before God in fulfilling my responsibility not held guilty is if I’ve been faithful with the Word. Not just the portions of the Word that appeal to me but with all the Word of God. It’s a danger. Well I say well we’re not going to deal with that. That’s divisive. There’s too many different opinions on this. You think God is a fool? That he put things in here that He needs us to edit for Him? Paul says, “I’m innocent now before God. My hands are clean before God. I’ll stand before Him with a clean conscience because I’ve taught you the whole counsel of God. But I warned the elders: they have to do the same thing. “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God.” Not your church. Not my church. It’s God’s church, “which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you.” Know these are? These are the elders of the church at Ephesus. Remember we read Paul’s letter to Timothy, who was at Ephesus, telling him to a stop to these teachers who don’t know what they’re talking about. “Savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; . . . from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert.” Paul says that for three years I’ve been admonishing you about this. Now verse 32, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up . . . to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The Word of God. The Word of His grace. That will accomplish God’s work in your life. You better be faithful to it. As elders you are responsible to protect the flock. Not to tolerate error, false teaching. That doesn’t meant that we’re, uh, teachers, um, teachers are growing, learning, but false teaching is not acceptable. Cannot be tolerated. Oh, but they’re good men! I know they love the Lord! I know they’re sincere! Well, bottom line is they’re teaching error. If they’re teaching error it has to be dealt with. And people say, “Oh, why do you always have to be negative? Why do you always have to be critical?” I read you the article. “Why do we have to be known what we’re against?” Well, because God says we must. Come over to, uh, Titus chapter 1 verse 9. Elders here “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching.” This would have to be true of all teachers, not only those who hold the office of elders, but elders who would be the ones responsible for that. They must be “holding fast the faithful word,” have a firm grip on it “so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” An elder has a true-fold responsibility. A teacher has a two-fold responsibility. To exhort in sound doctrine that he has a good handle on and to refute those who contradict. And these false teachers, verse 11, “must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching [what] . . . they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.” That’s with, what the church is. Lot of place to make everybody comfortable. The truth makes us uncomfortable often. The truth has an edge to it. I shouldn’t be running away from the truth. I should be running to the truth. I want them in comfortable as the truths in the light of the truth is shed on my life. If I’m uncomfortable then I say, “Lord, I need to get this right. I need to make the adjustments that need to be.” The idea I’m going to find a church I’m more comfortable in, you can find that, but if it’s not a church teaching the Word what have you done? Well we’re trying to have a comfortable Christianity and a Christianity that people admire, and people like us, and we’re not viewed as always being negative and not known for what we’re against. God didn’t establish the Church to be a blob in the world. You know, light in the darkness. There is a contrast. There is a conflict that’s constantly going on. You’re back here. Go on back to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 2. After he’s talked at the end of chapter 1 about being born again by the living and abiding Word of God, that’s what brings about the new birth, it’s the Word of God. You know what brings about growth? The Word of God. You put aside all sin in verse 1 because if you don’t you won’t grow. It’s like having a sickness, a disease in your body that prevents the body from absorbing the nourishment and become serious. Somebody is eating, but they continue to lose weight and lose weight, well they what? You got to get in and find out. Something is wrong. The body is not functioning properly. The body is not absorbing the nourishment. That’s what sin does. Wait and go, “well that’s, you know, you know it’s . . . it’s still . . . I come to church. I hear the body, you know. Well you can’t grow. You have to put aside all the sin. Then verse 2, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word,” the unadulterated mild of God’s Word. This is the way the devil works. As we have talked about in other occasions, he nippses the Word of God with error and so he cancels out its power, nullifies it. And you need the pure unadulterated Word. That doesn’t mean we’re the only church teaching perfect, pure doctrine. Our goal is to have perfect pure teaching. I realize we’re not there. I’m growing still. You’re growing still. There are other churches that are teaching the Word. We thank God for that, but when you begin to mix error and find that acceptable, “well I don’t know that we want to make that an issue. We don’t take a position on those doctrines because they’re divisive, there are good men who hold this, and there is good men who hold that so we don’t take a positon on that.” Where does that stop? Is there any doctrine of the Word that’s not debated? That become controversial? “Well there are good people on both sides of the issue,” but there aren’t people who are right on both sides of the issue, right? And our goal is to be Biblical, to stand for the truth. So we long for the pure, unadulterated milk of the Word so that “you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” And then I want to grow now. How do I grow? I got to have the pure milk of the Word. The Church oughtn’t to be muddling around trying to figure out, “What are we supposed to be doing? What, what should we be? What changes do we need to be making?” I mean, well, we look and say, “Are we teaching the Word? Are we a people hearing the Word and desirous of obeying the Word?” We are just not a school were you take in the all the information you can. We want to learn God’s truth, what? So we can end up absorb it into our lives. 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18: So we are beholding in the mirror of God’s Word the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed by the Spirit into conformity with His image. That’s what we’re talking about; we’re growing in respect to our salvation. That’s why, “Well it’s not a matter. You know, been a believer for 40 years. I’ve been in church regularly. I’ve been in the Word. I know all these things.” Doesn’t mean I don’t have to keep hearing them. I’ve eaten cereal every morning for the last 20 years. You know what I’m going to do in the morning? Amen. Banana and cereal. I don’t quit having breakfast. I’ve been having breakfast for almost 70 years. Guess I won’t eat breakfast anymore. In fact, I’ve been having lunch all those years too. Guess I’ll skip that. Maybe dinner too. I’ll just quit eating. I’ve been doing that for all my life. And somehow Christians come to idea, “Well we’ve got enough now.” Uh, read say, “You know, we’ve done away with Sunday night. The Bible doesn’t say you have to have Sunday night.” Now I read, uh, just read, um, the last week or two here, “Churches that are doing away with Sunday morning.” They’re going to have Wednesday night because they find people don’t want to come on Sunday morning, interferes with their day. So they’re trying Wednesday night. You know what we’re trying to do? Find a way to have the Lord, but not have Him interfere with our life. Just reduce it to nothing. ”You know, well, maybe Wednesday night. Nobody does anything of importance on Wednesday night–do they? Well maybe, and we’ll try to keep it to an hour. Maybe even 45 minutes. You know, and that would be better–wouldn’t it? I’m the only, I got one of the few professions, if I can call it that for my illustration, were if I did half of what I do, they’d be willing to pay me double. You know, what, we’d be better than an hour long sermon, a half hour. Like my mother told me once, “That was a, that was a good sermon.” :”Now thanks Mom,” but I knew she wasn’t done. “If you’d been ten minutes shorter, it would’ve been a great sermon.” And what do we model for our kids? You know in England I like some of the great preachers of the eighteen hundreds: like Spurgeon and Maclaren, and Joseph Parker, and so on from the eighteen hundreds. That was the Bible’s, everybody flocking to the churches. You know now they say, “Listen, five percent of the population goes to church at all.” That includes all kind of churches. I just read a statistic recently; they project in the next few years that will be down to less than two percent. Because why? We trivialize. It’s not that important, and somehow even we who claim to be believers are satisfied with less. What’s our next generation going to cut back to? Nothing. So the preciousness of the Word, the importance of the teaching of the Word, the seriousness of the teaching of the Word, the proper use of the tongue, I have to be careful because I’ll held, be held the stricter judgment.

Well, we’re going to go on. Now we’ve talked about teachers. You know how, uh, much I’m on the carpet as a teacher, but now we’re going to get you and the rest of James. He’s concerned about us all in the proper use of the tongue. So we’ll pick that up in our next study.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for the richness of Your Word, what a precious treasure has been entrusted to our care, the truth that You have revealed concerning Yourself. May we always count it precious. May our love for it grow, not diminish, and may we count it a great privilege to come together, be taught Your Word in our services, in our home studies, and other times. Lord may our appetite for Your Word grow, uh, so that we might continue to grow and then to take this Word and put it into practice–both our conduct and the way we use our words. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.